Laura Veirs
Saltbreakers

Saltbreakers, the latest outing from Pacific Northwest recording artist
Laura Veirs, continues in much the same fashion as her previous two releases Year of Meteors and CarbonGlacier. Essentially a
singer-songwriter in the traditional sense, Veirs has distinguished herself from
her peers by adeptly elevating her voice and acoustic guitar over a textured bed
of electronic atmospherics. By blending sounds that usually are heard
accompanying folk music with techno beats, she has found the perfect melodic
backdrop for her lyrics  the imagery of which seems, at once, to be both
wistfully nostalgic and optimistically futuristic. Within her works, tales of
shipwrecks, pirates, and bodice-ripping adventure jostle impressively alongside
meteorites, galaxies, and the far reaches of space, and the worlds that she
creates are often wonderful places to stop for a visit. The contemplative
creativity contained in many of her compositions invites her fans to discover a
universe  imagined or remembered  where the angular futurism of the Jetsons
intersects with the open-seas swashbuckling of Robert Louis Stevenson.

For the first three or four songs on Saltbreakers, this formula works
beautifully. The selections bounce along, and the listener is drawn into a world
of delightful melody and spellbinding imagery. Then, the formula suddenly
becomes tired. Veirs switches lyrical tacks and begins singing about the more
serious subjects of love, personal politics, and disappointment, though she also
keeps the same musical approach pulsing beneath her words. With lyrics that are
so literate and engaging  full of humor, irony, and emotional depth  the songs
demand a musical accompaniment that lifts and complements their subject matter.
Although the arrangements are interesting, they too often sound identical, and
they begin quite noticeably to grate against the stories they are coloring. They
need more depth and sophistication  without becoming dirge-like or dour  in
order to fulfill their purpose. One wants Veirs to branch out, take risks, and
reach beyond the formula that has been so successful for her. Jazz artist Bill
Frisell plays guitar on To the Country, and although hes not utilized to
tremendous effect (because he seems content simply to strum along with the
dominant melody), some new textures are, at least, introduced. On the same
track, the Cedar Hill Choir adds some much needed substance to the vocals,
providing proof that some musical exploration is taking shape.

Laura Veirs is obviously an intelligent young woman who cares a lot about her
music. Its apparent that she is trying to present her songs in a unique way
that reflects her aesthetic tastes and her world view. In that sense, she has
done a lot of growing over her last three albums. The alchemy of her acoustic
and electronic synthesis has created some very intriguing and worthwhile
atmospheres, but as time passes, her continued adherence to this sonic brew puts
her compositions in jeopardy of sounding dated. Still  from the wonderful
artwork and the lovely packaging to the singing, playing, and production  the
care and attention that clearly have gone into the creation of Saltbreakers
 and all of her outings, for that matter  reveal an artist who is too aware
and too involved to fall into these traps. Her many fans can only hope that she
takes up the challenge and builds on her obvious talent when she next steps out
onto a musical limb and begins, once again, to wrangle with her muse. While Saltbreakers can in no way be classified as an artistic failure, it is a
disc in which the composer seems content to explore familiar territory. As a
result, the listener is left, on occasion, with the impression that she is still
waiting for another musical epiphany to strike. One can only hope that it comes
soon and that Veirs will go further on her future endeavors. She needs to break
new ground and challenge her audience in the ways in which it has become
accustomed. ½